Golden Heart Day!

My first thought when I woke up today: OMG. It's Golden Heart Day!

Today is the day that RWA Board members make those coveted calls to let the finalists in the 2010 Golden Heart Writing Competition. I'm following the news on two different websites. The Ruby Slippered Sisterhood, a blog written collaboratively by previous year's finalists, as well as Judi Fennell's site, where she is hosting her annual *SQUEEEE* party announcing the finalists in each category. So far, it looks like four names have gone up, and I already feel certain that my name will not be going on the list today.

There are 10 Golden Heart categories, and I am entered this year in the "Contemporary Series Romance" category. My manuscript, Sea Island Secrets (formerly known as "The Millionaire's Secret Merger") is the very same one that was (nicely) rejected by the senior editor at Silhouette Desire last December. I took a peek back through the GH entry the other day just to refresh my memory on what I had actually sent in, and overall, I am very proud of my accomplishment. I actually finished a novel! I took a risk and sent it in to one of the most prestigious contests for unpublished writers in the world! Would I love to get a call today letting me know I am a finalist? Hell yes! Will it be the end of the world if I don't? Not on your life.

In fact, the chances are stacked very high that I will not get a call this year. Contemporary Series Romance is always a highly entered category with sometimes close to 200 entries, many of which have made the finals in past years. Only 7 or 8 finalists will be chosen out of those 200'ish entries, so not winning is nothing to be ashamed of. I still plan to sit by the phone all day (or rather, carry the phone with me all day:P) in hopes that it will ring with good news, but I'll be just fine if it doesn't. I'm proud of myself either way just for putting myself in the arena this year.

Congratulations to all the 2010 Rita and Golden Heart Finalists! The full announcement should be up on the RWA website by 2:00 PM central time today.